…and they’ll go a mile.
That's my spin on that common catch phrase. To me, it perfectly describes many people who join Soldiers’ Angels. Show them what can be done, and they'll do five times as much as expected. Frankly, they amaze me.
Case in point. There is a new crowd of Angels out in Manassas, VA (about 30 miles west of DC). Through a corporate initiative, they were given a little encouragement and "space" (not funding) to do volunteer work, particularly in support of our men and women in uniform and their families. Different locations chose different ways to volunteer. The Manassas location chose to participate in Soldiers’ Angels programs. Part of the pitch for Soldiers’ Angels came from an employee, who just happens to be a mom, a veteran of OIF, AND a Soldiers’ Angel.
So what have she and the others been up to?
They’ve become members of Operation Top Knot.
They’ve created an SOS-KIDS team to collect items for Iraqi and Afghani children.
They’ve made their first “Blanket of Hope”.
And the biggie, they’ve adopted their “local” HHC, 3-116th out of Winchester, VA, who will be deploying in the fall. They’ve already started fundraising to support this “adoption” and have already managed to find a way to support the unit by making the unit’s pre-deployment days a little nicer.
And these Angels just got started in June. Whew.
My favorite tidbit from this crowd to date had to do with that Blanket of Hope you see in the pictures. When considering which Soldiers’ Angels programs to participate in, they learned about Blankets of Hope: homemade or personalized blankets that go in each First Response/Transitional Backpack that is given out to our ill and wounded in Combat Support Hospitals in theater or at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. As lead-Angel-in-Germany MaryAnn describes,
That's my spin on that common catch phrase. To me, it perfectly describes many people who join Soldiers’ Angels. Show them what can be done, and they'll do five times as much as expected. Frankly, they amaze me.
Case in point. There is a new crowd of Angels out in Manassas, VA (about 30 miles west of DC). Through a corporate initiative, they were given a little encouragement and "space" (not funding) to do volunteer work, particularly in support of our men and women in uniform and their families. Different locations chose different ways to volunteer. The Manassas location chose to participate in Soldiers’ Angels programs. Part of the pitch for Soldiers’ Angels came from an employee, who just happens to be a mom, a veteran of OIF, AND a Soldiers’ Angel.
So what have she and the others been up to?
They’ve become members of Operation Top Knot.
They’ve created an SOS-KIDS team to collect items for Iraqi and Afghani children.
They’ve made their first “Blanket of Hope”.
And the biggie, they’ve adopted their “local” HHC, 3-116th out of Winchester, VA, who will be deploying in the fall. They’ve already started fundraising to support this “adoption” and have already managed to find a way to support the unit by making the unit’s pre-deployment days a little nicer.
And these Angels just got started in June. Whew.
My favorite tidbit from this crowd to date had to do with that Blanket of Hope you see in the pictures. When considering which Soldiers’ Angels programs to participate in, they learned about Blankets of Hope: homemade or personalized blankets that go in each First Response/Transitional Backpack that is given out to our ill and wounded in Combat Support Hospitals in theater or at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. As lead-Angel-in-Germany MaryAnn describes,
“[t]he backpacks include a T-Shirt, letter of support, Blanket of Hope, snacks, underwear, socks, etc. Receiving these items from everyday Americans via Soldiers´ Angels volunteers provides a level of personal support that has a very positive impact on a patient´s morale, and therefore on the recovery process.”
Making blankets sounded great, but some of our new Manassas Angels were heard to say, “But we don’t sew!”
Looks like they figured it out, huh? And wonderfully so.I can’t wait to report on what they decide to do next. “Mile” two coming up.
P.S. If you’re interested in joining or supporting this crowd of Angels in Manassas, check their website for contact information: CLICK HERE
1 comment:
yeah. that is great! Love to read this kind of stuff!
angels rock!
Post a Comment